forums

MEGA Conference Realignment and lawsuits Megathread: Stories, Tales, Lies, and Exaggerations

Rickd said:
You can't be that naive. They had NO intention of approving and it took direct pressure from Trump to get them to go along ... for now. There is another round of negotiations when the bill is processed through the House and the 19 member conference cap is the detail that many believe will be modified before a final bill goes to the president for signature. This bill is a long way from final approval and it is highly unlikely that the bill that is signed into law has the same details as the one that is pending senate approval.
Click to expand...
Come on now. Let’s not talk about naive. You were buying the bull**** coming from Genetics and Warchant about FSU to the Big Ten being imminent. This thread is four years old, and not much has changed in power 4 realignment.
 
Last edited:
TooColdToHold said:
Come on now. Let’s not talk about naive. You were buying the bull**** coming from Genetics and Warchant about FSU to the Big Ten being imminent. This thread is four years old, and not much has changed in power 4 realignment.
Click to expand...
Not much has changed? Have you been asleep for 4 years? The FSU / Clemson lawsuit certainly changed a lot for ACC schools. Exit is now accomplished according to a published fee schedule. HUGE change. A LOT has been changing with media negotiations, mergers, streaming deals, all of which impact realignment timing. In spite of the current bill process, realignment isn't done. The bill that is signed won't have a 19 member cap on conferences. A lot has happened to delay realignment ... but it is not fiinished.
 
Rickd said:
Not much has changed? Have you been asleep for 4 years? The FSU / Clemson lawsuit certainly changed a lot for ACC schools. Exit is now accomplished according to a published fee schedule. HUGE change. A LOT has been changing with media negotiations, mergers, streaming deals, all of which impact realignment timing. In spite of the current bill process, realignment isn't done. The bill that is signed won't have a 19 member cap on conferences. A lot has happened to delay realignment ... but it is not fiinished.
Click to expand...
All of this except actual teams leaving the ACC- or even the announcement of it.
 
TheOriginalCane said:
baptism GIF
Click to expand...
Im no expert in baptisms of all things but isn’t that dunking a little aggressive for a small baby???


Asking for the Joos of CIS
 
the bill, as written, isn't good for us. The gap will widen between the ACC and the P2. What are our options if we stay in the ACC to closing the revenue gap? Obviously unequal revenue distribution would be helpful in the ACC but it won't be enough and without the threat of us leaving, there's no guarantee the ACC won't just revert back to the equal distribution model.
 
Yoyo423 said:
the bill, as written, isn't good for us. The gap will widen between the ACC and the P2. What are our options if we stay in the ACC to closing the revenue gap? Obviously unequal revenue distribution would be helpful in the ACC but it won't be enough and without the threat of us leaving, there's no guarantee the ACC won't just revert back to the equal distribution model.
Click to expand...
The only real way to even the playing field if we're stuck in ACC **** is a cap, which, luckily, the bill has.

Outcomes ranked in preferable order:

1. Conference expansion, no cap. Best outcome for UM.

2. Conference expansion, but a cap. Not optimal, but at least we can leave the ACC.

3. No conference expansion, but a cap. That's how we keep up, since the extra money the SEC and Big 10 receive cannot go to outbidding us for recruits, depending on where the cap is set. That's the current version of the SCORE act.

4. No conference expansion, no cap. Worst outcome. We're screwed in that scenario. We will eventually get outbid.
 
Last edited:
CanesNation26 said:
The only real way to even the playing field if we're stuck in ACC **** is a cap, which, luckily, the bill has.

Outcomes ranked in preferable order:

1. Conference expansion, no cap. Best outcome for UM.

2. No conference expansion, but a cap. That's how we keep up, since the extra money the SEC and Big 10 receive cannot go to outbidding us for recruits, depending on where the cap is set. That's the current version of the SCORE act.

3. No conference expansion, no cap. Worst outcome. We're screwed in that scenario. We will eventually get outbid.
Click to expand...
The cap only helps of it's actually enforced. Which the NCAA has not done in the past (rules in general). A cap levels the playing field for everybody and then we have an advantage because of actual NIL opportunities.
 
Yoyo423 said:
The cap only helps of it's actually enforced. Which the NCAA has not done in the past (rules in general). A cap levels the playing field for everybody and then we have an advantage because of actual NIL opportunities.
Click to expand...
Agreed. The key is enforcement. The NCAA hasn't been able to enforce this because of antitrust concerns, but if the bill gives the NCAA an antitrust exemption, then it may actually be able to enforce the cap.
 
TITLE: PROJECT APEX: A Structurally Feasible Framework for a Joint ACC / Big 12 Direct-to-Consumer Media Alliance


TARGET AUDIENCE: University Presidents, Athletic Directors, Conference Commissioners, and Chief Financial Officers


1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY


The traditional linear television model, historically reliant on legacy cable carriage fees, no longer provides the growth required to keep ACC and Big 12 institutions competitive with Big Ten and SEC distributions. The resulting revenue disparity, currently a 35 million to 40 million USD annual deficit per institution, presents a structural challenge to conference stability and brand retention.


This paper establishes the operational and financial feasibility of Project Apex: a cooperative model in which the ACC and Big 12 pool primary athletic broadcast inventory into a unified 32-school Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) package designed for major tech streaming platforms (such as Amazon Prime Video or Netflix).


Core Finding: Without requiring early Grant of Rights dissolutions, exit penalties, or speculative performance metrics, a combined 32-school portfolio commands 1.3 billion to 1.4 billion USD in annual primary media rights value. This provides a 55 million to 60 million USD base media payout for Tier 1 institutions, driving total per-school distributions to 78 million to 89 million USD annually and shrinking the operational gap with Power 2 baselines to a manageable 10 million USD delta.


1. MARKET DYNAMIC: CABLE DECLINE VS. TECH STREAMING EXPANSION


A. The Linear Ceiling


Legacy broadcast networks face declining operating margins as cord-cutting shrinks the subscriber fee base. Traditional networks can no longer afford to overbid on secondary or tertiary college sports packages without passive cable subscriber subsidies.


B. The Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Mandate


Direct-to-consumer streaming providers operate under distinct commercial models:


1. Amazon Prime Video: Uses live sports to drive Prime membership acquisition, lower churn, and funnel users into its broader retail ecosystem.


2. Netflix: Leverages live sports to scale its ad-supported subscription tiers and capture high-CPM advertising revenue around tentpole live events.


The Inventory Scale Requirement: Tech platforms cannot justify 1 billion USD plus annual expenditures for single-school or single-region packages. To anchor a sports tier, tech providers require a continuous, 12-hour Saturday programming engine spanning all time zones across 13 consecutive weeks.


1. STRUCTURAL ARCHITECTURE OF THE ALLIANCE


A. Preserving Institutional & Conference Autonomy


Project Apex operates without requiring conference realignment, league mergers, or Grant of Rights buyouts:


1. Institutions remain full members of their respective conferences for governance and non-media administration.


2. Olympic sports, NCAA tournament units, and conference championships remain within existing league structures.


3. The ACC and Big 12 form a single-purpose commercial joint venture purely to co-license their regular-season home football inventory.


B. The 12-Hour Saturday Football Programming Engine


By combining East Coast, Midwest, Mountain, and Pacific time zones, the 32-school alliance provides a complete Saturday slate:


12:00 PM ET (Regional Lead-In): East Coast / Midwest Regional Matchup


3:30 PM ET (National Spotlight): High-Value Cross-Conference Showcase


7:30 PM ET (Primetime Anchor): Top-15 Marquee Matchup (e.g., Miami vs. FSU, Clemson vs. Utah)


10:30 PM ET (After Dark Window): West Coast / Mountain (BYU, Utah, Arizona, Arizona State)


C. Linear Over-The-Air (OTA) Sub-Licensing Clause


To preserve reach among older demographics and casual viewers, the DTC contract mandates that the primary streaming partner sub-license 1 to 2 marquee games per week back to traditional linear over-the-air networks (e.g., CBS, ABC, or The CW). Sub-licensing fees flow back to the streaming platform, offsetting net expenditure while maintaining over-the-air visibility.


1. DYNAMIC REVENUE ALLOCATION: AUDITED TIERED MODEL


To maintain internal stability, equal revenue sharing is replaced with an audited, 3-Tier Distribution Architecture, re-evaluated every three years using verifiable football metrics.


Tier Placement Criteria (Football Inventory)


1. Verifiable Nielsen and digital streaming viewership totals.


2. Regular-season ratings performance, marquee window appearances, and national brand draw.


3. Platform-specific engagement (direct subscriber conversions on the streaming app).


Revenue Tiers (Total DTC Media Pool: ~1.3 billion to 1.4 billion USD / year)


Tier 1 (Top ~8 Brands): 55 million to 60 million USD / year (Pure TV Rights Base)


Examples: FSU, Clemson, Miami, UNC, Utah


Tier 2 (Mid ~16 Brands): 38 million to 42 million USD / year (Pure TV Rights Base)


Examples: Virginia Tech, Louisville, NC State, K-State, TCU, OSU, BYU, Kansas


Tier 3 (Lower ~8 Brands): 25 million to 30 million USD / year (Pure TV Rights Base)


Regional and baseline digital inventory partners


Secondary Brand Consent


Tier 2 institutions receiving a 38 million to 42 million USD TV rights check realize an immediate 8 million to 12 million USD annual increase over standalone linear contracts (~30 million USD base), providing financial growth while maintaining conference stability.


1. FINANCIAL RECONCILIATION: CLOSING THE GAP


Below is the financial reconciliation detailing how a Tier 1 program achieves 80 million USD plus in total annual distribution:


Tier 1 DTC Media Base: 55.0 million to 60.0 million USD (Contractual primary rights payout from the DTC pool)


CFP Base Distribution: ~12.0 million to 13.0 million USD (Guaranteed base distribution under the CFP contract)


March Madness Units & Bowls: ~3.5 million to 4.5 million USD (NCAA Tournament performance units and bowl splits)


Guaranteed Baseline Floor: ~70.5 million to 77.5 million USD (Hard baseline distribution floor)


Local Commercial & Event Payouts: +8.0 million to 12.0 million USD (Neutral-site appearance guarantees, ticketing margins, and local sponsorships)


Total Realized Distribution: ~78.5 million to 89.5 million USD (Maintains a manageable 10 million USD delta against Power 2 averages)


1. SPECIAL SECTION: THE COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE


A Navigable Runway to the College Football Playoff


Beyond financial parity, Project Apex delivers a significant structural advantage over SEC and Big Ten realignment options: a more direct and repeatable path to the expanded College Football Playoff (CFP).


Avoiding the Power 2 "Attrition Trap": Programs entering the Big Ten or SEC inherit punishing 9-game conference schedules filled with multi-billion-dollar rosters. Navigating those leagues without 2 to 3 losses requires surviving a weekly gauntlet that exhausts personnel and increases injury risks prior to December.


The Strategic Pathway for Elite Brands: For a powerhouse program like Miami, remaining in a streamlined ACC/Big 12 framework offers a cleaner, less volatile runway to a 10-2 or 11-1 regular season. Under the 12-team playoff format, this structure maximizes the probability of securing top-4 bye spots or premium home playoff games.


1. FEASIBILITY & RISK MITIGATION


Contract Timeline Alignment: The Big 12's linear media rights agreements with ESPN and Fox run through the 2030–31 academic year, aligning neatly with the ACC's timeline. Project Apex targets execution for the 2028–2030 media cycle.


Technical Infrastructure: Major DTC platforms (Amazon/Netflix) have deployed technical infrastructure capable of supporting concurrent live traffic exceeding 15 million to 25 million viewers.


Commercial Joint Venture Structure: Co-licensing inventory across separate athletic conferences follows established sports media precedents, avoiding regulatory or antitrust hurdles.


1. ACTION PLAN FOR CONFERENCE LEADERS


2. Establish Joint Media Task Force: Appoint a 6-member joint committee (3 ACC, 3 Big 12) to oversee media rights strategy.


3. Execute Audit of Combined Viewership: Retain an independent media analytics firm to quantify football viewership across all 32 institutions.


4. Issue Joint Request for Proposals (RFP): Present a single 32-team broadcast portfolio to primary DTC streaming partners ahead of the 2028–2030 renewal cycle.
 
Ispyin said:
Or they think they have more power in the house to get that part changed
Click to expand...
They better have power to change the mind over at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He supposedly pushed for the passage of this particular bill in the Senate and the P2 jumped on board. If he still loves the bill in this format, hard to see the House voting against it.
 
CaneinBroward said:
They better have power to change the mind over at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He supposedly pushed for the passage of this particular bill in the Senate and the P2 jumped on board. If he still loves the bill in this format, hard to see the House voting against it.
Click to expand...
Wait, you think Trump is a details guy? He just wants the win.
 
Back
Top